I give this library 1 star because the location is beautiful. As far as my experience goes, every…read moretime I have visited the Live Oak Library I left feeling violated and dehumanized. Libraries are my safe place. As a Black woman its heartbreaking to me that Live Oak Library is not safe for me. The downtown library may not be as beautiful, but in my eyes it is a true library: Inclusive and welcoming to people regardless of race or housing status because everyone deserves a place at the library, a place of safety, community, resources, and education.

Great toddler story time with 30 minutes of play followed by 30 minute story time. The library…read moreitself is clean and well staffed. Great stop for anyone looking to take a break and escape into a nice book.

I reserve books weekly. The app is easy to use. I just grab my books off the hold shelf and self…read morecheck out. Not even 5 minutes and that includes parking.

Great meeting room..large enuf for 10 people Needed 2hrs but…read morelimited schedule..booked up We only need it for 2 people Needed 2hrs..could of used a smaller room if one is available

Pretty decent library. Parking lot is right next door, but limited spots. Could be difficult to…read morefind a spot and street parking is also challenging. Suggest not coming on a Saturday or maybe even any weekend day, not sure about a weekday. Older building, but well maintained and friendly staff and plenty of books. Downstairs is for adults. Some people seem to be long timers and frequent visitors. Upstairs is for kids and teens and they make sure it's only 18 and under + families for kids safety. Colorful and cozy area. Many computers available for kids to reserve and use for hour at a time. All in all, a pretty decent library for the community in Santa Cruz. We stopped by to check this place out and for the kids to rest before more adventures and it was a nice place to find some quiet and calm.

Adj: Oldie but Goodie Library in Downtown Santa Cruz…read more We've been here a couple of times. It's an older library, and parts of it feels kind of grimy, but it's still a pretty decent one and a good resource for the local community. There are 2 entrances, the side one closest to the small parking lot (spots limited) might have some people loitering, so you may prefer the main entrance. Parking can be challenging, street parking available, but there's fees for those. Not too bad on the weekend afternoon when we came. Lots of seating and relatively quiet considering it was quite packed downstairs. Upstairs where the kids' section is located was a more cheerful and bright area with more natural light and colorful decor and furniture. The whole library is older so everything felt a bit 1970s-90s, but most parts were well maintained and kept clean. Towards the back of the 2nd floor there's a large community room where some kind of board game gathering was taking place during our visit, as well as some family-friendly bathrooms only for kids and their parents. The general public are directed to use the downstairs bathrooms which I passed by and peeked into and they looked kind of dirty and unkept (or very used by the afternoon). There's a campaign going on to raise funds to remodel or update this library, and I can see the need, hopefully, they will get there. The library staff are friendly and helpful. Plenty of computers throughout, on both floors although I noticed they were quite outdated older systems. Wifi was pretty good. Overall, an OK library in downtown Santa Cruz.

Wonderful staff, everything is so clean and organized, plus they have a great selection of books…read moreand are constantly getting new stuff in

It was out first time going since the remodel and I was left with an open mouth. Beautiful remodel…read more Took my son to get his first library card and just had a blast looking around choosing a book.

The best little library! You can order any book from our library system there and they have comfy…read morecouches and computers too!

This is the place to stock up on music music from bygone eras. Use the website to have your cds…read moredelivered to this branch if this is closest. You can use the new Santa Cruz public library "SCPLgo" application on your iPhone or android if you would like to use your smart phone when you check out books at the library. It doesn't necessarily make things easier but you do feel like your superior to the troglodytes that are milling around in our libraries

I am so excited to have a library card here now. What an easy and pleasant experience. The building…read moreitself is so nice. I was greeted with a smile and they were happy to help us get signed up with new cards. Once signed up, they made sure to explain all the benefits that come with our cards and answer questions. I am excited to use all the benefits the library offers!

This is a useless library as the Wi-Fi is extremely unstable. When I asked the front desk about it,…read morethe response was: 'Oh yeah, it happens here from time to time.' Multiple emails to Christopher Platt yielded nothing

My 9 year old is scared. Yes, we are at the SVL library and she is scared. She won't even look for…read morebooks. There is an unbearable amount of teens partying, throwing things, oh... I just heard something hitting the floor. And clapping. More stuff hitting the floor. My daughter and I have been coming here since she was 4, it was one of our happy places where we could explore books. She won't even go and look for books alone anymore. What is this? Why is this allowed? I have been told that Thursdays are the days to avoid because teenagers take over but it's Friday. And why are they allowed to be a menace here? They are not using computers or discussing books or working on projects. It's clearly their social hour. Why their horsing around is allowed in the first place? Why is this abuse tolerated?

fun great kids books the seats are great it is a great place to hang…read moreout and read books

I love to sit in a booth on floor 1 by the window, the one with the view of the whole lawn. I watch…read moreeveryone walk past and no one knows that I'm watching them. I can never get work done because I like inventing stories about each of them. Bathrooms are very conducive to crying. 2019 I cried in a floor 2 bathroom and another girl was also tearing up. Felt very supported. I think they shot a tv show here! Pretty cool.

Stopped in to check out the Grateful Dead exhibit. Nicely set up and super informative. Its a small…read moreexhibit, probably took an hour to absorb it all but was worth it. Parking was interesting to figure out the first time but now I know how to work it. Took an hour hike thru the redwoods and to a bluff overlooking the ocean. Very cool!

Once abandoned and in ruins, when we first moved to the Bay Area it was a desolate and decayed huge…read morelot with a pet goat and a caretaker in a mobile home to shoo off explorers and vandals. Built in the 1930s by Kenneth Kitchen. It's inspired by romanticized Hindu mysticism as well as the arcane and occult. Because of this the site is covered in symbology and hidden meaning. From the obvious all seeing eye at the front gate to the mini details in the brick there is an esoteric design language that keeps it all unified and cohesive. The legend is also complemented by the fact that the owner and brothers were bricklayers and stone masons and it was only constructed under moon light. It was purchased in 2016 and lovingly restored and developed by the new owners to preserve the local folk-art style architecture. The new main house is next to the "court of mysteries" and a lot of the missing abalone and smashed brick has been painstakingly replaced.

The Court of Mysteries (which also goes by The Red Brick Castle, among other names) is a beautiful…read moremonument and home in Santa Cruz, which not many people know about. It has a very interesting history to it, and though you cannot go inside the house or on the property itself (because it is a private residence), you can still appreciate the architecture from out front, including a lovely fountain in the courtyard, and learn about the stories and mysteries that have defined this unique landmark. These stories can easily be found online, but some of the most interesting details are that the original builder (Kenneth Kitchen and his brother) built it only during the night, modeled it after a Hindu temple, and incorporated hidden messages throughout, using shapes, astrological symbols, and dashes and dots resembling morse code, with possible connection to the occult. Also, there is no historical record of Kenneth Kitchen after he left Santa Cruz in the 1950's, so yeah a lot of oddities to drive your imagination and make you wonder. One of the most intriguing parts of the Court of Mysteries is the "Gate of Prophesy" which has two magnificent towers and an intricately designed archway with the mysterious triangular structure at its center. Beautiful trees and vegetation surround the brick and abalone "temple" and entire site, creating a picturesque scene overall. Apparently the property was restored a few years ago by the previous owners (I'm pretty sure that rebuild didn't occur "only at night"). They even built a house on the left side to live in while reconstructing the Court of Mysteries. The property was subsequently sold in late 2021. If you're interested in a quick visit, it's easy to just park right on the street, take a few photos of the amazing archway and towers, and peek through the gate to see what the Court of Mysteries looks like today... and then maybe amuse yourself with the legend and history behind this strange phenomenon.